Kukla's Korner Hockey

Q. You visited Seattle recently. Does this mean you are starting to think about expansion?

A: There is a lot of interest being expressed by people in Seattle. Before we even thought about seriously entertaining the interest, we were getting lots of stories about the building prospects and what the issues were. I was on the west coast, on my way to Minnesota, so I figured I would stop in and see the mayor and county executive and see what the story is. The story is that there is nothing going on right now. … It was said that we had no interest in Key (Arena). That's not what we said. What we said is we wouldn't have any interest in Key without knowing whether a new building is coming. Key is not a permanent solution. If someone wanted to play there on an interim basis, it is something we would look at, but we have no interest in going into Key in its current condition because it is not a hockey building. So we learned first-hand what was, and more importantly, what wasn't happening.

Q. Any progress toward deciding if the NHL will be back at the Olympics in 2018?

A: None whatsoever. I said leaving Sochi, we were coming out of the Olympics totally focused on the conclusion of our season and the playoffs. We haven't given the Olympics any thought whatsoever. … We didn't get a deal to anyone's satisfaction until six or eight months (before Sochi). If, and this is a big if, we are not going to go, I think that decision should be made sooner rather than later in fairness to all of the governing bodies. But I'm not saying we are not going.